Page 35 of Ride Long
Rhodes, Watts, and Raw were three guys I’d seen around but hadn’t had the chance to get to know. Not like the others who worked in the garage. Though they’d gotten to see a great deal of my ass today, so there was that. If Chaser had walked in and seen me like that, he would’ve blown up and gone on a rampage. The thought made my heart swell. His alpha-asshole jealousy was sweet considering the kind of affection he liked to show. Which wasnone.
I sat on a free patio chair and put on my aviator sunglasses. The ones with the blue lenses I made Chaser buy me way back when all this first began. How long was it now? A month? Time flew and allthat.
Watts raised his eyebrows, his gaze going to my thumb. He was a quiet kind of guy, thoughtful and sharp by the look in hiseyes.
Grabbing the bottle opener off Spike, I popped the lid off my beer and took a mouthful. It wasn’t that cold, but several degrees south of boiling was better than nothing in thisheat.
“Ugh, I forgot how hot it gets here,” I said, attempting to get the conversation goingagain.
“East coast soften you up?” Rhodes asked, looking meover.
“Who said I was out east?” I made a face and leaned back in the chair, the plasticcreaking.
“It’s the furthest point away from here that’s not Canada or Mexico,” Ram shot atme.
“Whatever.” I kicked my feet up on the overturned crate they had set up as a coffee table. “I just scrubbed half the garagefloor.”
“Want amedal?”
“Yeah. A real fucking big one.” I smirked and threw my head back with a laugh, causing the other guys tochuckle.
The air was clearer afterthat.
Ratchet and Butcher appeared, joining the little group, and for the first time, I didn’t feel like a prisoner locked away in a hornet’s nest. It was a moment of bliss that was short lived when Butcher leveled his gaze at me and asked about the one thing I didn’t want to talk about.Chaser.
“What happened out there?” the big, beefcakeasked.
“Out where?” I tilted my head to theside.
“Chaser got knifed,” he said. “Lost a lot of blood. You knew what you were coming back to. Had a chance to ditch the guy. But you scraped his ass off the floor and brought him backhere.”
“It’s like you said. He got knifed.” I stared right back at him, my hand tightening around mybeer.
“So?” Ram asked, tossing in his own line of questioning. “Everyone knows you wanted out. That’s why you ranaway.”
“Everyone knows shit,” I snapped. “You know a rumor,Ram.”
“Then explain it, Sloane.”Butcher.
“Leave it,” Ratchet said with a groan. “What’s it matter? She’s Marini’s kid. Orders areorders.”
“Says the asshole who tattooed her and got his face beat in,” Spike said with asnort.
“It’s no secret I ran away,” I said, picking at the label on the bottle in my hand. “But I am my father’s daughter. Your president’s flesh and blood. Instead of selling me off to the highest bidder as a hole to be raped and abused, you know what he should’vedone?”
Ratchet smirked and nodded his agreement. He got it. We’d already had our one-on-onetime.
“You are your father’s daughter,” hesaid.
“I’m also my mother’s daughter.” I raised my bottle, held it high, andwaited.
Ratchet nodded and bumped his battle against mine. His boldness gave the others courage, and one by one, every bottle clinked against my own. Butcher, Spike, Ram, Watts, andRhodes.
“Sloane.”
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Gasket lingering at the garage door. He crooked his finger, calling meinside.
“Boss is callin’,” Rhodesdrawled.
